Larkin student accused of attacking teacher

October 26, 2012|By Kate Thayer, Chicago Tribune reporter

A Larkin High School student faces a felony battery charge after police say he attacked a teacher during school.

The boy, 15, who is not named because he is a juvenile, is charged with aggravated battery of a school official after he was accused of walking into a classroom late Wednesday morning during a passing period, knocking a 51-year-old male teacher to the ground and punching him in the face several times, Elgin police Cmdr. Glenn Theriault said Thursday.

Other students in the classroom stopped the attack and called for help, said John Heiderscheidt, District U-46 safety coordinator. The school's resource officer as well as dean's office employees responded and took the student away. He was taken to the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center and was scheduled to appear in juvenile court Thursday, Theriault said.

The teacher was taken to a hospital for minor injuries to his face and remains out of school recovering.

"This is a senseless act of violence toward another person," Heiderscheidt said. "There really is no explanation."

Police would not disclose a motive for the attack. Theriault added that this is the student's first run-in with police.

"This was not a student that was on our radar," he said.

While Heiderscheidt would not detail what sanctions the student might face at school because of privacy reasons, District U-46 policy lists a number of options for students who engage in aggressive behavior, including suspension or expulsion.

The incident calls to mind the attack on nearby Elgin High School's Carolyn Gilbert, who in 2008 was stabbed by a 16-year-old student, resulting in her losing an eye. Angel Facio was convicted later of first-degree attempted murder and remains in prison.

The incident spurred a new law, signed by Gov. Pat Quinn last summer, that requires police to alert school officials when a student is under investigation. At the time of the stabbing, Facio was a suspect in a sexual assault for which he was later convicted.

Heiderscheidt said Wednesday's attack is not evidence of a pattern in the district.

"What happens next is we seek more information," he said. "We investigate internally and externally, looking for more information."

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Elgin police or Heiderscheidt at 847-888-5000, ext. 4263.